This invention relates to a system and method for providing instant messaging services in an interactive multimedia environment.
Instant messaging (IM) allows two or more network users to exchange messages with other in real (or near-real) time. IM differs from ordinary e-mail in that the messages are exchanged immediately, requiring all users to be online at the same time. Accompanying some versions of instant messaging is a “buddy list” (also called “presence management”), which lists a user's friends or co-workers who have access to the network. When a “buddy” on the user's buddy list logs on to (or off of) the network, the user is notified. Similarly, when the user logs on to or off of the network, buddies who are online and whose lists include the user are notified. This enables the user and the buddy or buddies to exchange instant messages with each other. Conventional networks include proprietary computer networks such that of America Online® (AOL), semi-private networks such as that of Microsoft® (MSN Messenger), and public networks such as the Internet. Instant messaging is also available via set-top boxes (STBs) connected to a user's television. Examples of these systems are AOLTV®, WebTV®, and Microsoft® TV Messenger.
As part of these conventional systems, users have some control over which messages they receive from others. For example, users can block all messages sent to their set-top box or computer terminal, and may be able to block messages from specific people. In one system, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,301,609, a user who has access to data or communication devices such as a personal computer, wireline or wireless telephone, or personal digital assistant may define rules, assigning priorities to respective buddies in the buddy list. As disclosed in that reference, a buddy assigned a high priority is able to discern the user's online status, just as other systems permit. In addition, a buddy assigned a low priority is not able to discern whether the user is online or offline, and communicates with the user via a user proxy, while a buddy assigned the highest priority is permitted to interface directly with the user while the user is online, and interface with the proxy while the user is offline.